A Hero Goes to War - Legend of Zelda
by WolfsLegend
Summary: When a hero goes to war, he leaves a promise behind him. A promise that he will return... always return... for her. Yet what if fate decides to intervene, striking the hero down and smothering him in death? What then will become of that promise? What then will become of her? "I'll always be your hero... always come back for you, Zelda. I promise."
1. 01 - A Hero Goes to War

**Minor Rambling of the Author: This idea came to me while listening to "If I Die Young" and "Safe & Sound." I couldn't help but write the ideas down on paper and perhaps try them out with a FANfiction. This story is focused on the usual love interest of Link and Zelda but with a twist. It is based off any LoZ game ('cept Skyward Sword since they aren't on an island) in any world (though... I tend to focus on the TP world since that game is my absolute fave :3). Anyways, R&R! **

**This will be a short story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the LoZ franchise (duh).**

* * *

_~Music Suggestion: "In Light and Darkness" by __Adrianvon Ziegler~_

**01 - A Hero Goes to War**

_**When a hero goes to war… he shall turn his back with refined dignity and innocence, but as he returns he shall be a broken man. Cursed by the devastation that lurks on the battlefield.**_

* * *

Fingers flexed, reaching out to the golden streams that struck boldly through the tree's canopy. The warmth was comforting, promising. Yet as I turned my head against the softness of the grass… I met true warmth. A smile. So radiant, brighter and more colorful than any rupee. Warmer than the sun.

"Hey Link," the smile whispered, azure eyes twinkling under the thin streams of sun, "my nurse maid used to tell me a story of a hero. One that will always come to the princess when she's in trouble… when she's sad… and whenever he goes off to war, he always comes back. No matter what." Her golden hair flickers, casting an uneven glow against the green blades beneath us. With a small fit of laughter she reaches for my outstretched hand, her smile still lingering as her fingers tangle in mine. Her body scoots closer, the warmth of another soul adding to that of the sun's own comforts. "Do you think that you could be _my hero_, always be there for me?"

I prop myself up with a free hand, fingers digging into the dirt as I match her gaze with a fitting stare of innocent youth. She'd mentioned this hero time and time again but never had she questioned me with such a thing. To be her hero… all hers. Such a thing, I wouldn't change it for the world. After all, we were friends. Best friends. One in the same from the very beginning.

I drew her closer to me, my fingers brushing tighter against hers as I gave a laugh, "Of course!"

"I'll always be _your_ hero, Zel."

* * *

The fist connected heavily with the oak table, papers and maps flying about as the wielder of the clenched hand growled out with such force that it even went as far as to shake the windows, "We have no choice! If we do not act now then thousands will die. The enemy has already taken refuge in the shrine of Kakariko. We can't risk another shrine, as well as the people, to succumb to such evil. If we don't stop this now then what will become of Hyrule? She's already soaked with enough blood." The fist shook, unclenching only to scrape at the table's surface. Tired, young eyes that had long since been battered with sights of war raged on, his jaw tight in resistance to his elderly majesty. They'd been at the plans of battle for weeks now and… nothing had been agreed upon.

Do we leave the Zora race to suffer? Allow their water temple, their shrine, to fall and drown in blood? Do we stand idly back to see just what the enemy wants?

He'd had enough of it. They needed a plan. No, a person. Someone who could create a plan and lead it with sufficiency. A hero.

"But he's already returned from a difficult journey already! We cannot just throw him into another possible death. If we do that and he happens to falter this one time then Hyrule will lose her one and only chance of peace, her hero! We can't test that and you know it!" He shot a glare across the room at an older commander, the one who had continued to go against every word he had spoken in every battle meeting.

"So you'd have the Zora race become extinct then?" The young general pressed the question, leaning forward slightly as his gaze shifted toward his majesty.

The man had been standing at the other end of the table with a silent air of observation. Come to think of it, the royal being hadn't even spoken up throughout the whole meeting. Perhaps he was merely thinking or… regretting. Remorseful for letting it go this long. For letting the denizens in Kakariko suffer for the kingdom's slow response.

His majesty gave a sigh and a lowering gesture of his graying head, gray eyes wandering over the map that had yet to slip to the floor from the argument that had been heavily placed on the table. Actually, he had thought of requesting aid from the hero… but the chance of the hero not returning would be grave. The people already relied on the young man as it was. If he were to die then Hyrule would fall into panic. Not only that… his weary eyes glanced to the heavy wooden doors on the far side of the room, Zelda would be furious. Though her duty was to act as a beacon of hope to the Hyrulean people, she would drop it in a second if it meant saving Hyrule's heroic mascot.

But… if they let the enemy do as they pleased then the Zora Domain would suffer. The Zora people would fall. No, it had to be done. No matter the consequences… a king had to act, had to try to save as many. Yes, even if it meant that one man, though idolized, would die. "I will speak to Link alone about the issue at hand." He spoke, raising his head.

"Your majesty?" The young general breathed, seeming to relax at the statement as his hands withdrew from the table entirely.

"Are you sure? What if—" the aged commander, though younger than his majesty, fell silent at the old king's leveling gaze.

"That boy is our only hope, and if we do not act now then we will lose an ally, a race, and a culture. This bloodshed has to stop. We can't suffer any more losses than this. I will summon the hero at noon and request his aid."

* * *

I fiddled with the hem of my white shirt, the sleeves rather long for such a thin body as was the shirt itself entirely, as I stood within the throne room. Just moments ago I had been spending time with Zelda; listening to her laugh, witnessing her smile… her voice. At that time she was glowing but… when the royal advisors came with a summons that smile and unearthly glow crumbled. She'd stopped in her laughter. Even went as far as to reach out for my hand when my back had turned to her. Though, she left her hand in mid-air when I had paused. Her hand faltered, shook, and then fell back to her side all together.

_She knew something._

No, she always knows something. Especially when I had come back from my previous journey, back from the deserts, and back from the desolate battlefield where I had went against Ganon. For the first few months she had been happy, so positive… but after a messenger came to the kingdom, his body battered and stained with his and another's blood… she'd changed. Her smile wasn't as real whenever a soldier walked our path or her father came to greet us at sporadic moments during the day. Even her choice of conversation would change. For instance, if I even mentioned my previous journeys, Hyrule in general, or the messenger that had staggered in the throne room that day she would change topics. Laugh it off as if I were joking. Any topic that referred to leaving even… she'd change.

_I knew she was hiding something. _

"You called for me, your majesty?" I spoke, voice reverberating over the empty hall as I finally looked up from the pale, teal floor to the king himself. We'd been in each other's presence for a while now, not speaking. Though the fact was unnerving as was the sight of those exhausted and nearly troubled gray eyes, it only gave light to Zelda's strange behavior.

The king gave a subtle nod, a hand adjusting the golden crown that sat neatly atop his graying head of brown. Come to think of it, over the past few weeks… the king had gotten quieter, more weary. His hair was a mess underneath the crown, claiming sporadic directions. Even his face, though it was thinner, had additional wrinkles littering his skin.

"Your maje—"

"Have you heard of the recent bloodshed?" He questioned, his eyes flickering to the walls at my back (perhaps staring at a tapestry that took on the Royal Family Crest).

I gave a bit of a cringe. No. No, of course not. After the messenger had arrived, Zelda changed. Always altering topics. Even went as far as to chase the soldiers that guarded her away from us… and now that I think about it, from me.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you knew not of it since you've been staying her recuperating. That, and my daughter. I know well that if she were hear she would fall into tantrums, refusing me to utter the grave news." The king gave a dry chuckle, his frown gaining depth as that aging gaze shifted slowly to my own, questioning.

"Link, it seems that Hyrule is in danger yet again. Not herself but her children. It seems that we have an enemy roaming about, attacking one location after the other. Sadly, we've been acting rather slow in reply to their doings for we only heard of this after Kakariko suffered. Their shrine was taken over, destroyed and desecrated. Their people murdered. Even now, we know little of the enemy for every time we send out a squad from our armies… they never return. The messenger knew little, he'd only come across the bloodshed a few days ago before it had happened. He was delivering a message to those dwelling in the shrine."

I took in a breath, fingers curling at the hem of my shirt now as I dropped my gaze to the floor. Zelda knew something… knew this. She knew that if I'd known then I would instantly request to help, to be Hyrule's hero once more. But that doesn't… "You want my help to defeat this mysterious enemy, correct?" I questioned, flinching at the reluctance that littered my tone.

_She didn't want me to go… she's afraid._

"Yes but Link, I am not ordering you. I wish to give you freewill for we cannot always rely on you. Though you may be a chosen one of the gods, you are still _Hylian_. You're still a boy. For that, this kingdom will dare not look down on you if you decline. I will make sure of that. Though if you accept, my daughter may—"

"I'm aware." I cut in, eyes lifting from the floor once more. Zelda would be furious. She would call me out on fearing how the people of Hyrule would act if their icon declined aid. She would say that I am not acting of my own will. Nevertheless, "Her thoughts will not change anything. I am a hero, he representative of Farore. If I don't act now, aid Hyrule then something terrible, worse than the irregular bloodsheds, will occur. Not only that, but it's my duty. It's the reason of my existence. To sit back and watch the world turn, battling and dying, is not in me." I drew my hands to the sides, straightening my posture.

_Zelda will forgive me._

"I will act as Hyrule's hero once more and eliminate the enemy." I gave a bow of the head, a sweep of the arms.

"Are-are you sure, Link?"

"Yes, but let me be the one to tell Zelda."

* * *

The splash of colors grew dull, lifeless, as I looked to her. Already she was trying to regain her composure, trying to stand tall and see me off, but I knew her. The way she let her head droop, her fingers clutching at the hem of her long sleeves. The way she let her confident voice fall to a mere whisper of wind.

"I'll be back." I retreated a step back, forcing my gaze away from her own… I can't deal with this. I shouldn't have come. She'd been so happy, upbeat just moments ago before I'd spoken. She'd been laughing before I told her of the news, of my new assignment. Slowly and gravely did I turn, forcing myself to ignore her shaken breath. To ignore the desire to hug her. To tell her a promise that everything would be all right. I should but if I do then I'll never leave. I gave a sigh, one I had been keeping in for a long while upon meeting her.

I needed to tell her. Needed to say goodbye. This was right. If I had just left then she would hate me and worry even more. She would—

I paused in mid-step, my arm pulled back by shaking fingers.

Zelda… no. No, I have to go. I have to… "Link." I turned, head glancing over the shoulder in utter despair to the very person that I loved most.

"Link…" her smile, something I had become used to… something I treasured, faltered, "promise you'll come back. No matter what." Her fingers curled about my arm, pulling it toward her. "Promise. Me." The words fell short, fallen to a gasp. A sound of threatening tears.

Reluctantly I turned, allowing my arm to linger in her grasp for a final moment as I once more set eyes on her. She'd once told me, long ago, that she'd made a promise to her mother to never cry. It was unbefitting of a princess. Crying was not an option for a princess should be utterly optimistic for her people. Hope. Yet now here she stood, the princess of the lands that I swore to protect… my best friend, with her glossy eyes and trembling lip. Without a second glance I could tell, she was on the verge of breaking that promise. All for me.

"Link…"

Trying to keep myself emotionless, I slowly drew my arm away from her tight fingers. "Zel, I always come back." Without consideration to her feelings as well as the soldiers that stood behind her at the door would do in response, I lifted a hand, caressing her golden locks. I'd done it multiple times, it calmed her. A method that always made her smile… but now, her lip only trembled further, tears threatening to spill.

She gasped again, a ragged intake of air as she again grasped my arm. Both hands latched to my wrist as she brought it close to her chest, "But Link, the dreams…" again her words died in a whisper, something that was beginning to make me wince all the more.

Yes, the dreams. She'd been telling me them for over a month now. On occasion the nightmares had escalated so much to the point where I was asked to stay in her bed chambers and watch over her… on those sporadic days, the dreams were nonexistent. "Zel-"

"They keep getting worse Link. Every time, you die. Every time the death is more gruesome, unforgiving, and slower than the last." Her pale fingers tightened against my wrist, eyes level with mine as she let out another shaky grasp.

I gave a slight nod. She needn't remind me, I knew. I knew every one of them that she'd dreamed, down to the last detail. Not because of worry or curiosity but because she persisted, held so much worry for me, and hoped that if she reiterated the dreams… I might escape the "deaths." "Zelda," I gave a sigh, having to avert my gaze to the eavesdropping soldiers at the door… the way she looked at me… I could handle any fight, any task, but not something like this, "I _always_ come back. I always return and you _know_ that."

She shook her head gravely, blond braids twirling and tangling about her sharp shoulders. "But these dreams, Link, what if they-"

"Zelda."

"What if they're a prediction? What if it's the Goddesses trying to warn me, us? What if-"

"Zel-"

"Link, what if you leave me?" Her gasp came quicker, eyes brimming over with tears.

I gave a grunt, my composure that I had built up over the few hours before telling her crumbling with just a slip of a tear, and pulled her in an embrace. Easily ignoring the startled breaths of the soldiers as I drew her close, fingering the blond fringe away from her swelling eyes. "I would never allow that, never do that. I couldn't bear to leave you."

She looked at me a moment, hand still clutched to my side as she stood in the embrace. Then her head fell, pressed to my chest, and her arms quickly wrapped around to my back. "I know… but…" her breath faded into yet another whisper, caught by the thumping of my heart.

Goddesses, I shouldn't have told her. I shouldn't have—"Zelda." That's it? That's all I can come up with. Just a simple name, her name. Nothing else. No comfort. No promise. "I'll always come back for you." If I hadn't been hugging her right then and there I would have slapped myself. I was merely repeating, being meaningless. If only—

"I'm just so scared, Link. What if you never come back? I could never bear that… because… because… I love you so much." Her voice shook, singing with tears as she held me tighter. "I love you…"

* * *

The scent burned, crawled up my skin. Like rusted copper, a withered flower… rot. My gloved hands raked over my steed's neck, a habit that I had taken on through my previous journeys. A habit of comfort for I could never stand the sight or smell of blood. No, it was lingering. Crying out to be remembered. It was what ghosts were made of, eternal.

"Master Link!" I lifted my head, averting my gaze from the pile of dead Zora warriors, the lives ended with just one sweep of a sword, to the speaker. The young lad, a foot soldier from the western lands of Hyrule, ran up to my horse's side with a gasp in his rhythm. He leaned over, a hand brushing against my saddle as he gulped in a heaving breath. "S-Sir… the fifth squad to the south of Zora's Domain has fallen… there-there's too many. Too many Da-Darknuts. They just… just-keep co-coming. No end. So many loss-losses."

I looked down at the boy, his brown eyes being that of the only sight despite his young shape through the Hyrulean soldier armor. Like the rest of my men, I had forgotten his name. What was it… Johnn, Mal, Mohnn? Without a doubt he too must have left a special person behind at home. He must have had to deal with a despairing goodbye. Shared a tear or two.

Giving a soft shake of my head against the thoughts, "Tell the squads in their designated areas to keep their ground. We can't allow the enemy to take the shrine of Lake Hylia. I, myself, will head to where the fifth squad was held to eradicate the enemy."

The foot soldier nodded, his eyes averting from me through the thin slits of his helmet. "Yes sir." He performed a bit of a bow before turning and running through the depth of the field.

I watched him for a solemn moment, waiting for his body to disappear beyond a hill or the foggy darkness that cloaked this region of the fields. Without a doubt, he was younger than Zelda or me. "He's far too young for this mess." I whispered, my breath fogging against the crispness that haunted the long blades of grass and weeds. With a sigh I tucked a hand within the restraints of my steed's reins, the thick leather freezing my fingers. "But then again, it's his life. He's free to choose." My voice broke at that, strangled as I reached at the sword that clung to my back.

The blade withdrew with a soft whisper, its withdrawal sounding dry against the damp air as I brought it to my front. Such a sword, I'd been its wielder for a while now. In just a few short years I had gotten used to its sight… but never to how it looked when tainted with blood. No, I liked seeing the reflections of the world that surrounded me. I liked seeing the glint in took under glowing lights: sun, moon, stars, torchlight. Even its smooth handle… I'd become accustomed to the feel. Even when my first journey ended, defeating Ganon, I could not bear to part with the ancient relic. It had seen grotesque things, things that I had shared by witnessing… acting.

My horse huffed, hooves padding at the earth beneath us with a withering whinny. Impatience. Perhaps nervousness. "You're right, Epona." I muttered, eyeing my blank expression through the blade's reflection, "Now's not the time to stray, to falter. Let's go…"

_The quicker this ends, the sooner I can return to Zelda's side._

Adjusting the sword in my grasp, I gave a click of my tongue and a tap of heel against ribs. Epona darted forward, hooves digging in a grave manner; the sound hollow, unforgiving as we galloped to the southern fields of Hyrule. I leaned forward, legs wrapping around her broad back to urge her to go faster. To end this quicker.

We galloped along the rolling hills, my eyes averting from any spot that reeked of blood… death. I'd already seen enough of it, witnessed so much in just a few short years of my existence. Surely, if I wasn't the hero I would hightail it out of here. If I wasn't the "last hope" as Hyrule referred me to then I would return to my chambers, be innocent.

I would be a child again, normal.

Epona's gruff huff drew me back, my eyes blinking against the clouded light. Goddesses, the scent was growing worse. Blood… twisted copper, withering and twirling. Aged and screaming. Yet there I rode, giving a strained click of the tongue for Epona to go faster. Faster. Get it done with. Get it over with.

_To return to Zelda's side. To see her smile. To keep my promise._

We rounded the cliffs, the hooves thundering in a hollow chant as we covered the stretch of field. Just one more hill and then the real bloodshed would begin. Just one more string of seconds and then the sight, scenery and all, would change. In that moment I would need to force myself to become blank, nothing but a toy soldier. A doll.

_It's the only way. Though it's painful… it's the only way._

I kept repeating the lines, over and over. It's the only way. Though it's painful… it's the only way. This is what a hero should do. Always. Fight for the people that believe in him. Fight for their freedom, their peace. Fight against his feelings, insecurities, and fears. Even if there's no one to back him up… he must fight.

* * *

**-8 pages  
**

**-Please excuse me for any grammatical errors**

**-Next chapter will be coming soon!**


	2. 02 - A Hero Dances on the Battlefield

**_Author's Bit of Rambling: _****This chapter has made me question on its rating. It repeats the fact of blood, something that we protect till our last breath. It repeats the knowledge of death to a level of "eeewwwww." Should I keep it as T or M? I dunno but for now it shall be T. Though, either way, I hope I got the details and such right :/**

* * *

_~Music Suggestion: "Let Me Fade" Composed by Adrian von Ziegler~_

**02 – A Hero Dances on the Battlefield**

**_When a hero dances, he dances with sword and hand. Dressed in blood, wounds, and sorrow. He is but a toy soldier, acting as fate desires. Acting under the song of war._**

* * *

I yanked at the reins, pulling Epona back to a halt atop that cursed hill. It took all I had not to remove myself from my steed's back to vomit, to bring up the bile that bit eagerly at my throat. Goddesses, the scent… the _sight_. Noisome.

The very fields were drowned in blood, not a green or yellow path of earth in sight. The only flowers in the field were that of the dead, their silent face gazing upwards to the midnight skies in a frozen panic, their swords far off in the dirt. All around tainted grass did pieces of them lie… clothes, memoirs, frail weapons… parts. All around a legion of Darknuts lingered, stabbing vehemently at the corpses only to give a burst of twisted, ghostly laughs when blood still squirted from the cold, paling bodies. Ah… the Darknuts, even they too were drowned in blood. No their own, oh no. The blood of those fallen, the dead soldiers. Right then I leaned over Epona's side, heaving at the site.

Just from here I could count them… see them as clear as day. Frozen stares, open mouths, and the litter of gashes. The disgusting, deafening sight. Something that no one should partake in seeing, especially the foot soldier, Zelda. Anyone.

Yet even as the bile threatened to spill, biting at my taste buds mercilessly, I couldn't help but shake. Shake with blame, perhaps even a bit of denial. Was it my fault? If I did not exist… would such evils, such sights exist? If I had demanded to hear of the news that the messenger brought that day, would I have ended this mess before such a thing as this occurred?

Fighting the reluctant tears, the remorse, I pulled back to the saddle. _Fight against his feelings, insecurities, and fears. Even if there's no one to back him up… he must fight._ A hero.

I took in a breath, eyes averting from everywhere except the legion of scattered Darknuts. With a click of the tongue and a short yell, Epona dove forward. She barreled down, whinnying against the smell as we thundered down the hill's slope that had long since been littered by our comrades' blood. As we reached even ground I lifted my sword, its glint spiraling out against the dim bit of light from the skies. With another yell, urging Epona to go faster, I leaned forward and screamed. Screamed with all I had, with the promises I had to keep… the dirty tasks that I was chosen to do. Chosen to deal with no matter what.

"For Hyrule!"

For Zelda's safety.

The Darknuts looked up from their desecration of the dead soldiers, glowing red eyes peeking through the cross slits on their helmets as they shook with evident anticipation. As they shook with bloodlust. The monsters, their stench anything but heavenly. With a bloodcurdling roar they raged, metallic boots digging into earth, cutting into the dead carcasses as they charged at me, blood splattering and dirtying the fields even more so as they ran. I joined in their roar, screaming. Screaming at their existence, my duty.

I unhooked my feet from the stirrups, hand uncurling from the tight embrace of the reins as my butt evenly leveled up from the saddle. Faster and faster. Another ragged breath, another roar, and I leaped. I jumped over Epona's head, soaring through the crisp air to tackle one of the broader Darknuts with a heavy swing of my sword. It gave an earsplitting crack and a scream of sparks, metal connecting with metal as they screeched against each other.

The massive Darknut only gave a grunt, a roar of recognition that our blades had connected before it sent me flying backwards into the bloodied field. I gave a single cry as my back slammed into the earth, cold blood slapping me at the back of my neck, my cheeks, and tunic. The smell burnt, the feel of it ached. Yet I reeled back, stabbed my sword in the crimson earth to draw myself back up to face the Darknut. It met me first.

I cried out, a massive blade slamming into my side by the blunt end, sending me back into the ground several feet away from where I had attempted to stand. The pain ricocheted, vibrating my skeleton and tightening my muscles as my back again connected with the ground. The contact made me cry out again, side now burning with silent screams with each wee take of breath.

_What if I were to die?_

I screamed at the thought, fingers clawing at the damp earth, fingers clawing at my side to silence the newly made wound. To silence my thought. A blow to the side would not end me. Never. Even if it's just me, one man against a legion of Darknuts… I can do this. I am a hero. The chosen one. I can do this. This situation, it's meant for me. Always for me.

_But what if the pandemonium of Hyrule decides otherwise? What if I am to die… what if it is my time to vanish, to fall back into my legend of the Hero of Time?_

No! I promised.

My fingers catch onto the earth, cuticles stinging against the blood that flowed on the ground as I again pulled myself up with sword tightly grasped in hand. Right away I swung the sword, my freehand flying up to support the blade as it crashed with a different Darknut's tainted blade. The clash of swords screeched, sparks spitting against my cheeks as they raked across one another.

The blow forced me back, the heels of my boot skidding across the wet ground as the vibrations and pressure increased. I gave a shout, jumping back and whipping my sword it the side, smacking the Darknut away briefly as I reassessed the conflict.

Sixty.

Sixty Darknuts. I've killed more than that before in my previous journeys. This situation is no different.

With a reassuring grunt I ran forward, diving under the armored opponent's massive sword. The blood flew, coating my clothes with rubies as I rolled to the side, boots skidding amongst the remains of corpses as I grabbed at the Darknut's armored back. I climbed up, sword at the ready and roared again as I reached over, hands scraping against its swaying helmet. It tossed and turned, sword swinging madly in the air as its fellow Darknuts swarmed it, blades crashing against their fellow man's armor to try and get at me. Yet I held on, calloused palms beginning to bleed against the pointed features of the helmet as I leaned over the armored shoulder and extended my blade to the Darknut's left side of the head.

I struck the beast in its cross slit on the helmet, hearing it scream bloody murder as it thrashed about with my sword still gouged in its dark flesh. Twisting the hilt, I angled the blade itself deeper, slipping it out of the cross slit only to slam it back in with another scream. It screeched again in response, swinging its sword against its fellow "comrades" as the blade sunk in deeper, hot blood scorching my gashed palms as I slammed it further in, growling all the while against the vibrations that struck the armor from the cascading swords.

A sword in particular struck me, catching my hip as it sunk in only to collide with the raving Darknut's armor and bounce back. I gave a short, rasped yelp as my strength faltered, hands ripping at the blade as I crashed to the ground once more. My sword dug into my palms, cutting deeper into my flesh as I rolled to the side, dodging a splatter of blood and dirt as one of those accursed swords ate the earth. Again I jumped back, ignoring the sloshing attire that clung to my skin as I dragged my sword back up to my front.

The Darknut that I had been stabbing was now swinging madly at his fellows, still screeching as he stumbled over corpses and slipped on blood. His blade connected with his fellows' swords as blood continuously bubbled forth from his cross slit.

With a shaking breath I turned, ignoring the sharp pain that stabbed me at the side, the hip, and charged. Again I swung my sword, using my freehand as support to lessen the blow of ambiances as I clashed swords with another Darknut.

_Goddesses give me strength._

I tensed my muscles, eyes narrowing at those flashing, red blots inside the enemy's helm. With another shout I whipped my sword to the side, forcing the enemy a step back as I swirled around him, rolling about on the blood and sweeping up from behind him. I swung the ancient sword again, its edge digging into the enemy's back. The point sliced into the minute opening that reached up the back like a seam, blood squirted out, twisting into the dank atmosphere. Grunting I shoved the point in deeper and ripped it upward and an arch, pulling the sword up just in time to block yet another attack.

_Zelda… give me strength._

Shoving against the sword that blocked my own, I screamed again, boots digging into the earth. Yet I faltered, eyes widening as my gaze shifted away from the Darknut before me to the one that beamed within my reflection. A sword, tainted by its victims, was heading straight at my back. Crying out I ducked, the blade of that disgusting sword slicing up at my back only to draw away as I dodged. It cut through the fabric, cold wind pressing against me naked back.

_This is too mu—…. No… it's not too much. It never is. _

Growling I spun around, hacking at the metallic boots of my attacker blindly but my blade only bounced off, ambiance stinging my aching muscles as my own blood slipped down my back. Another blade, somewhere from behind, stuck me in the arm. Its blade grazing the bone as it was yanked back, slicing against muscles and tendons. That very arm grew limp, instantly, and the pain met up with a fortissimo, gaining an octave as an armored foot connected with my head.

A crack resounded, echoing within my senses as I fell over into the wet grass below, wailing out at the pain that towered over me in that instance. All the while the Darknuts swarmed, surrounding me… all the while the blood stank.

My own blood caught in my nostrils, flaring. Dirtying my tunic further, stains. Again another sword struck, the tip slicing through my collarbone as I rolled over, right hand grasping the slippery hilt of my sword.

Scrambling up with Master Sword slammed into the dirt; I rose with a heaving breath. Already my dominant hand was numbing, weakening underneath the cold and wetness of my tunic and the air about the field. The pain was spreading, flickering like wildfire. Moving like smoke. Even my gaze flickered, black spots sprouting against the eerie scene as the Darknuts continued to move forward, their ghostly laughter shaking my frame.

_It-It's…_

I swung my trusted blade once more, smacking it into an armored chest only for it to bounce off once more. Yet I ducked, dodged, and weaved. Missing a cutting blow to the head, a kick to the chest, and a stab to the throat.

_Too…_

Again my sword connected with another, my body being forced back by the powerful blow, boots sinking heavily in the ground. I struggled under the weight, my bones trembling with the effot as my feet sunk. Collapsed. Burned. My knees hit the ground and that very sword that I had tried to deflect hit home, cutting straight through my shoulder. Once more the heroic sword fell back to the ground, its face covered entirely with crimson. It dug into my chest partly, ends barely grazing the ribcage as it shot out, sliding flesh and ripped fabric to the side.

I gasped, vision darkening and flickering with colors. Objects. Faces. Smiles. Beautiful eyes.

Oh Goddesses, the pain. The damned pain.

A hand grabbed at my collar, lifting me up above the ground. I fought, scarred, bloodied hands clawing at the metal fingers that slowly began to dig into my neck, cut at my throat. I kicked, leather boots slamming into armored chests as a fist connected with my head, stomach, face.

_Much…_

The fingers released, my body slamming back to the ground in a shaken gasp. Immediately I scrambled up, hands clinging to frail grass strands as I heaved, wretched up blood. Bile. Fluid. The stale, scorching taste silenced the screams. Silenced a retort as another blade struck at me, burrowing through my upturned back.

_It's too much._

* * *

Zelda curled her legs up under her burgundy skirts, eyes level with the castle walls. She'd been sitting under the tree ever since dawn had graced Hyrule with its presence. It was her favorite tree… one that held fond memories of innocence— childhood. Just the thought of it made her flash a smile, though small is spoke of affection. Memories always soothed her. Yet…

She squirmed underneath her open sanctuary of the tree, the smile crumbling like a thin cookie as her eyes averted to the grass and minute flowers beneath her. Some memories soothed her. Some. The nightmares were a different story. They were something else entirely.

Ever since Link had left her she felt off. Missing. Absent. Distraught. Fearing she'd go mad with such emotions as well as the fact that she broke her mother's promise by crying, she'd tried to sleep. _Tried_. That just invited the nightmares to come, to frolic around her, and intensify. Each death was more gruesome than the next. Each dying breath, scream, blink of an eye was more tragic. Each time his words were the same, apologizing.

Though this time it was different than any other dream she'd witnessed. Worse. He'd been plunged through by blade after blade, ripped asunder, and had bathed in his comrades' blood. All the while he still fought, even on his last breath. He still stood, grinding his teeth against the pain. Yet, as the other dreams spoke of, he didn't make it either. He fell, a blade forced into his chest through and through. A blade digging into his gut, creating a waterfall of blood.

He'd died like he'd done in the rest of the dreams.

* * *

**-5 Pages**


	3. 03 - A Hero Laments

_~Music Suggestion: "If I Die Young" Cover by Justin Robinett and Michael Henry~_

**03 – A Hero Laments**

**_When a hero laments, there's nothing more sorrowful. Nothing more tragic._**

* * *

Her face met mine, noses barely touching as she offered a genuine smile. A smile she'd used to captivate me so many times. With a soft laugh she wrapped her thin arms around me, head pressing almost longingly against my chest. "You came for me." Her voice was musical, a whisper as she pulled back only slightly to look up at me. Though our journey together had been long, even now with our official greeting through those exhausting days… I couldn't help but feel as if I'd met this smile every single day. As if I had heard this laugh, this voice, every morning.

"Of course, princess." I matched her smile, fitting it easily on my lips as she proceeded to hugging me in the serene silence. A silence that only a journey's ending could bring. Peace. Without ruining our embrace I looked behind me at the turmoil, the carcass of Hyrule's destined enemy long evaporated into a black mist, long gone for any innocent gaze to slip upon _just like that_.

"I was…" her voice drew me back, my arms tightening about her protectively at the tremble that overlaid her tone, "so scared, Link. I was afraid that something might happen to you. That you'd…" her voice fell to a whisper, harsher and brittle than the last. She was choking, trying to refrain from the act of sobbing.

_"It's not princess-like to sob, Link."_ It had been a string of words that she'd said multiple times through my dreams, the dreams I had met with each passing day.

Yes, I'd known she'd been scared. For every night that passed the dreams grew longer, filled with her gentle, trembling voice. She was afraid of fate itself. What it might do. Would it decide to leave her behind this time, change the stories up for Hyrule's future children? Perhaps kill off the Hero of Time, let a new one take his place later on… leave her to solitude.

In just a few months I had gotten to know her like the back of my hand. Already I could tell how tired she was, how mentally and physically beaten she had become. The ordeal of shivering in a cell, in a prison, and waiting for some type of rescue had strained her. Fate had surely been unkind.

"It's all right." I whispered back, mimicking the whisper she had brought out before her tone had descended. "I'm right here. Everything's all right. Everything will always be all right, Zel."

"Always."

She pulled fully back from me then, her smile still solid. "You're already sounding like a man Link."

I averted my gaze, insecurities rising with the fit of memories that struck my conscience. She's right. I don't sound like a little boy anymore. I don't sound like a fourteen year old… not anymore. I've already seen, heard, too much. Spent days in the rain, starving and cold. On the verge of death. Witnessed death itself, evils.

I'm no longer a child. No longer innocent.

* * *

The coldness seeped into my bones like a disease, my flesh crawling with unease as the blood continued to flee. I wretched once more, blood boiling in my gut as I felt a boot connect with my spinal cord once more. My voice rasped out, sounding like a withering cat as I clawed at the earth in evident desperation. Fear. Turmoil.

Trembling fingers dug at the dirt, grasping the now reddened hilt with broken ambition. This fight had surely been ended at the very beginning. Fate was against me. Always against me. It gave no mercy and no warning. I coughed up my insides once more, swiping the numbing hand against my mouth only to add a stream of blood to my cheek from my tainted palm. Flinching at its scent, I crawled forward, forced my feet to stick into the now muddying ground. Forced myself to stab that blade into the ground, to pick myself up with my wounded shoulder.

I shifted around the sword, my only eye that had not been covered and burned with blood looking to the oncoming horde of Darknuts. Forty-seven. Somehow, through my pained rage I'd managed to kill a bit of them without realization… until a sword connected to my back for the fifth time.

Naturally this was impossible. I already know that I'm at my limit. I've lost so much blood… I can barely… barely think let alone remember who I am. This pain is just too much. Agonizing. I find it unbelievable—a dream— that I've gotten this far. That I've breathed and staggered for this long.

Nevertheless, it's _not a miracle_.

No. There's something thast I'm fighting for… something…

I swing against the flurry of swords, ignoring the blades that my own sword misses as I stumble forward and nervously press against… fighting for something. What am I fighting for? Honor, glory? Respect? Revenge?

No. _Something more._

The blades cut at my flesh, ripping more fabric along the way as I press forward. As I give a choked scream, swinging the blade as hard as I can with one hand. It bounces off an arm clad in armor, smacking into another sword. The sparks fly, spitting back at my already burnt face. Spitting colors. Spitting _promises_.

Promise.

I promise.

Promise what? I've no clue. I can't think. So much pain. So much blood. _I can't handle this._

* * *

Blurred images, faint voices, sudden bursts of laughter, colors, pain, love, promises… a face. Her face. Eyes so bright, always shining. Hair so long, so soft. Her laugh, so heartwarming. Just right, a remedy to ease the stress of a long journey. Just the same with her smile.

"Link?"

A flash of faces, all the same. Her. The nameless princess, every generation… always the same. She's smiling, dancing, laughing, reading, singing.

"H_eeeeeyyyyy_, Link!"

She's always there when I need her. Always. She's-

"Promise me… promise me you'll be back."

Always worried over the paths I take, the orders, the victories. It's the same question. Will I go? Will I return?

"No matter what."

She was intensely worried that day, pale fingers curling through my own in demand. Demand for a real answer. Would I return? Of course. Why wouldn't I? I would never leave-

"But Link, the dreams… they keep getting worse Link. Every time, you die. Every time the death is more gruesome, unforgiving, and slower than the last.". Link, what if you leave me?"

That day she cried and all I could do was embrace her, calm her with gentle words. Of promises that I would never be able to keep. She would never understand why I needed to go out, to journey to the unknown. Would never know why I had to check on the cemetery that day. Why? Simple, the worry was too much. The rumors of brutal murders had me on edge that day… the amounts of deaths, the innocent.

Teary eyes, brimming over like a full cup. She wouldn't let me go until I promised repeatedly to return. A smile, a soft laugh. A twirl of skirts as she turned her back, whispering… something… something I can't remember. Yet I knew, smiled. A sad smile. Regret. Perhaps it was a joke, a promise… or just a string of words entirely.

I'll never know. Never remember. Her face is a blur. Just her eyes, her hair, her smiles, her laughter, and her interests. Her voice. The colors that resonate. That look when she sings, reads, cries.

What happened to her?

What will happen to those smiles when I don'treturn?

What will happen… will she be thrown away… used and abused?

_"I'm just so scared, Link. What if you never come back? I could never bear that… because… because… I love you so much."_

_"I love you…" _

What will happen when she finds out that I broke a promise between… what was it? What were we? Friends? Lovers?

What will happen… Zelda?

* * *

I stagger, my hands slamming heavily into the ground as my lungs collapse, shudder. I heave, wretch, convulse. This pain is too much. These memories, accursed pictures, aren't helping. Her smile… her voice… I scream then, dragging myself up on gouged knees to swing at the enemy's feet. To swing at their sword. All forty-sex of them.

Yes… I only killed one. Just one and now here I was, groveling. Swinging blindly like a child. I'm only twenty… a young man can only handle so much. A man such as me who never had an appropriate life can only handle _so much_.

A sword stuck through my chest, barreling through. I screamed then, head rolling back to peek at the twisted, midnight skies in a fit of hopelessness as that fated sword seeped through flesh, bone… everything. Promises, smiles, songs. _Everything._

Zelda.

_I let you down._

My voice reached its end, collapsing into a fit of strangled coughs, blood pouring out of my mouth as the sword was ripped back. I gave a shattered cry in response, eyes widening against the coldness that shook my battered frame. Anther boot to the head sent me to the ground, face drowning in the still blood, stained with fallen comrades that I could not find revenge for… I didn't even know their names.

Zelda.

Numbly my fingers reached for the hilt of my blade, anything that would save me. Anything that would save my promise. Anything to be able to hear her voice, feel her warmth, see her smile.

I dwelled there in the wet, cold ground, wallowing in despair as my flickering gaze wandered about for a sword. Anything. My mind was tangled, beaten by blades and armor. I can't think straight. I'm surprised I even remembered about Zelda. _My Zelda._ I'm surprised I was able to picture her with such clarity.

My gaze shuddered, fluttered as the sounds of screams shot of somewhere behind me. Beastly screams mixed in with human… perhaps Hylian. Perhaps my imagination. A memory. Yet my fingers kept scraping against the grass, tangling in the remains of fabric, blood, and parts of my comrades. All the while my mind wandered away, shifting away like a wisp of ghostly smoke. It left without a care, just as fate acted. Only leaving me with a chant, to not give up. Get back up… keep a promise.

All the while the shouts beyond me got louder yet farther, sinking into an inky abyss. They got closer yet softer. Even the clash of metal against metal grew dull. No, they just resembled a buzzing bee. A snoring infant. A wretched dream.

"Master Link!"

My fingers froze, trembling in the cold as my eyes fought to open. When did I close them? When did I get _so_ cold?

"Master Link!" The voice sounded closer yet drifted, lengthened. Surreal.

A warm hand, hot to the touch, grasped my wounded shoulder and I nearly wretched again. My eyes, stained in blood, flashed open manically as I lashed out… screamed. What did I scream? I've no clue. All I know is that my words numbed the speaker, frightened him as the hot touch burned away with the coldness. "Master Link." There it was again. That tile. That lie of all things!

Again that touch came, but instead of the shoulder it touched my head, gloved fingers brushing against my swollen cheeks. The speaker turned me about, my face now pointed directly to the starless skies. The moonless night. "Goddesses…" I barely heard the whisper, that youthful tone struggling against tears. "We were too late… I was too late. I should have hurried. Oh Goddesses, I'm so sorry Master Link! I-I… I'm so sorry."

My tired, blurry vision turned away, limited attention drawing to the blank skies. An exhausted part of me urged to throw useless comforts. To blame myself for going… where was I going?

_For going alone._

Yes, for going alone. For trying to be the icon that Hyrule had created. For allowing myself to play in fate's hand. To find myself no longer needed.

Zelda.

I closed my eyes willingly now, consciously. The exhaustion, the cold, the pain. The sorrow. It's all too much. I'm so tired of it. So despairing. I can't…

_"I'll always be your hero, Zel." _

What will happen when she finds out?

_"I'll always come back for you."_

What will happen with her, with her smiles and laughter?

"Zel_lllll_da…" the name made me convulse, cry out in the effort it took to press those syllables through my aching throat.

"M-Master Link? Please-please don't speak. You mustn't spend your energy… you have to live."

I felt the ghost of a smile touch my lips, burning the gashes from my neck to the top of my head. I have to live? No… fate disagrees. "I'll… all-always come… b-back."

Zelda, if you knew how much I treasured you would you forgive me? I broke a promise. Our promise. I can't come back for you, be by your side. I can't share your laugh, your smiles, or your warmth. I can't return.

_With a small fit of laughter she reaches for my outstretched hand, her smile still lingering as her fingers tangle in mine. Her body scoots closer, the warmth of another soul adding to that of the sun's own comforts._ "_Hey Link… Do you think that you could be my hero, always be there for me?" _

_ Of course. _Always.

Just as long as your forgive me. Just as long as you smile, laugh, and tell me those three words one more time. As long as you send me away with a love song. A smile.

_I promise._

* * *

**-7 Pages, woot~**


	4. 04 - A Hero's Broken Promise

_~Music Suggestion: "Man of the World" from the OST of Naruto Shippuden anime series~_

**04 – A Hero's Broken Promise**

**_A broken promise is forgotten, but a hero's broken promise is eternal._**

* * *

Her voice dropped, died with the wind and the colors as the messenger's news echoed with such sorrowful intensity—despair. All throughout the days she been sleepless, fearing the nightmares that riddled her dreams, and now here she stood, those accursed images coming true. No. No, she couldn't accept that. Couldn't bear… perhaps she'd heard wrong. Yes. That's possible.

"Repeat yourself, soldier." She said, voice littered with uneasiness as the messenger bowed his head once more. The young fellow, perhaps skinnier than her, was nearly shaking now. No, he was crying.

"My princess, I've told you this ten times already. Master Link… he's… he's gone." The same message and not a thing changed.

"That's impossible." Her insides clenched, shuddered as she took a heavy step to the boy. Her frail fingers clawed at his armored shoulders, eyes trembling as she leaned in close. "He can't be!"

The young man bowed his head further in the weakest attempts to avert his gaze, to hide his face. For a slipping moment he'd wished he'd given the job to someone else… shrugged off his duty. That or force himself to find the weakness and wear his helmet so as to hide from the princess's emotion. All the while on the journey back, the remaining men had fallen silent. They'd looked to the small fry of the group for direction, taking Link's words to the boy as a passage of acceptance and role. Still, of all things… he'd rather do anything else but this.

Her breath was unnerving, crushing. Though as he sighed, ready to try at comforting the distressed woman did she draw back. Her hands slipped away from his shoulders, calm. A sick calm, forced with pursed lips. "What happened?"

He blinked, head snapping up to the question. Of all things he'd expected her to set up a storm, to rage and throw blame. "Princess?"

"What. Happened?"

"He fought… the legion of Darknuts by-by…"

He flinched at her gaze, those eyes burning with something dark… ghostly, "By himself."

The boy gave a hesitant nod, his own gaze averting once more, "Yes, your majesty. He told me to tell the others to hold their ground. I had finished my order but it turns out that I wasn't the only one worried… I don't know, but there was something in the air that day. Something foul. The last group that I encountered insisted that we help Master Link, but when we got there…" he shook, tears threatening to fall at the wretched memory, "there was so much blood. One against sixty. We tried our best to rid the land of them, afraid that if we dragged Master Link away then we too would be fatally wounded… and unable to save him."

"You left him alone."

"No, princess. I didn't fight, I went to his side. Right away. Yet when I saw his wounds, I knew. Not even the springs or the Fairy Fountains could save him."

"What did he say?" She asked, tone still absent.

"Your name… that he'll always be back because he promised." He glanced at her, watching her cringe from the very string of words as her head finally drooped. "I'm sorry… if I had only gone against his orders in the first place, his death could have been prevented."

"My hero…"

"Princess?"

"He broke our _promise_."

"P-Princess?"

* * *

The ringing never stops. Not even when I press my palms against my ears. Then again, it's so dark in these depths that… for all I know, I'm merely floating without hands. I'm nothing but a thought. A memory. Something forgotten. Ah but this ringing, it's the silence. It's a heavy burden that lashes out to every trembling thought. I want to think. I want to remember.

Do I exist?

If I can manage some thought, though limited, then yes. I exist… in a sense.

Do I bear a name?

Unsure. Though this tug at my gut says otherwise. I do have a name yet I can't remember a single letter of it.

Where am I?

_Death. You are dead. Died at the hands of darkness, by fate's decision._

I cringed at the words, the tingling voice that pressed against me. Yes… that's right. I died. Died… for what?

_A Hero must end; vanish so that the balance may be resurrected. Your presence distorts the world for you come when it is broken and only stay till it is fixed._

Hero? Me?

_What, has death been so unkind that you've forgotten your name, your title, so easily?_

_ Link._

"Link, hello, Liiiiink?"

I blinked, the darkness that I had grown to call a _friend_ vanishing in a void of white, swallowed up with a simple whisper. My throat gave a squeak, hand reaching out to smack an arm.

"Haha, sorry, didn't mean to startle you! You seemed in deep thought just then… it was only a memory."

That voice. My eyes cracked open, blinking heatedly against the brightness that had enveloped my cozy little realm. Slowly the blur of colors sharpened, gained depth and life, but the most detailed sight gathered on the girl that crouched beside me, her hand pressed against my own that was resting against the side of her head.

I'm not dead… no, that was just a dream.

"Link?"

The background beyond her cleared, formed into tall, stone walls that had been riddled with age and a liter of sun kissed vines. At my name, something my mind was finally about to gain familiarity with, I looked back to her. Her smile was golden, just as her hair. Bright than the sun.

What was her name?

_Zelda._

"Zelda?"

"Yes? What is it? Did you forget about that time when you promised to be my hero, already?" She giggled, fingers intertwining with mine briefly before she withdrew her hand and placed it in her lap. Yet as she did so my hand continued to stay on her head's side.

I gave a small nod yet my voice came out foreign, against my own accord, "Of course!"

My body moved forward, again without my consent, and my fingers gradually tangled about golden hair, laughing along with that musical chuckle that sounded off from my confused expression. She was smiling, joking. Ignoring my utter confusion, perhaps even shock, as she continued on… as if I had never been in utter darkness. Retelling memories, those small moments that we'd shared. "And remember that time… with the Cuccoo?" Her laugh sparkled, eyes squinting at the effort as she heaved.

_That's right, I've never been in darkness before. Preposterous. Right here is reality. Back there? A daydream._

"Yes, I accidentally bumped into one of the blasted things and then all of them came after me." I joined in the reminiscing, soaking up her beauty as I scooted closer to her side.

Yet as my hand settled on her shoulder, she recoiled back and set her own, small hands to my chest. That laughter and smile that I had treasured were gone, absent just like the look that had taken over her gaze. Glassy, smoky. Lidded with something… different. "What about that time…" she trailed, eyes lingering on my own as her fingers slipped over to my arms, "that promise…"

"Zel?" She's not acting right. This memory is not supposed to go like thi—memory? Since when was _this_ a memory? I am here as is she, as we've always been. Reality.

"Remember that time, Link, when you promised to be my hero, always?" Her voice took on a different note now, twisting with unfamiliarity.

"Y-Yes, but what does this have to do with—"

"What about the memory of breaking that promise?"

I gasped, pushing away from her, "Zelda, what are you saying? I-I'm—"

"You lied to me."

"No, I'm right here. Always."

"You died."

"I'm right here Zelda!"

She just looked at me with that monotonous stare, hands still outstretched to where my arms had been moments earlier. Again I scooted away from her, "You're spouting nonsense. I'm right here. I'm alive and breathing."

"You. Lied. Left me all alone."

"No. No. That's not possible, Zel, I pro—"

"Died without me, broke your promise!"

"Zelda—" I tried to reach to her, forgetting that oddness of her attitude, but she just slapped my hand away and stood.

"I hate you… hate you so much…"

* * *

I screamed, eyes cracked open at the horrid fantasy of tired thoughts. My fingers clawed at the dirt as my body convulsed, shook under the sensations that littered my limbs like a burn. The words wouldn't stop, her voice… gaze. It wouldn't cease. Gravely I turned over, writhing and spilling out the empty contents that dwelled in my stomach.

"Impossible." My breath shook, vision blurring as I my head fell to the damp earth only to shake there like a leaf. Impossible. Just a wretched dream. A wretched figment from a man's exhausted imagination. Yet I kept trembling against the cold ground, teeth bared as my nails dug farther in to the dirt to the point of blee—

Blood.

My vision snapped, clearing with such abruptness that all I could manage out was putrid red; thick, scentless crimson that puddled against my battle-scarred flesh. A color that spoke of an ending. A series of regrettable memories. Famous last words.

_That's my blood._

I reeled back at the recognition, yelping at the bloodied field before me and cringed at the dead bodies, both Hylian and Darknut.

_"Link, what if you leave me?" _

Reluctance strained my will, eyes settling to my opened palms. The skin was snowy, death. Translucent. The very blades of grass, though disorient with blood, were visible through the smudged flesh. Ghostly. I extended my hands, gaze snaking down to my arms, legs, chest, and any other part of me that I could manage to turn about and see against the gamut of pain that rode on my senses.

The Darknuts… I didn't kill all of them but surely I—

Impossible. _I couldn't have died. _

I turned about, hissing at the stab to my spine as I raked over the battlefield visually. My body… my mortal body had to be around here somewhere. Anywhere. If not then perhaps I was dreaming again, dreaming that I'd fallen to the confines of a drifting ghost drowned in turmoil. Yes, that's possible. Entirely possible. Realistic.

_They would have carried your corpse back to Hyrule Castle if you'd died._

No. No. No. No. No. "No!"

_"I would never allow that, never do that. I couldn't bear to leave you."_

My head fell, hands dragging against my stained face. Dear Farore, I died. Of all the things to happen to a hero… this is what was chosen? Could I not dwell in peace, a "happy ever after?" If anything, could I not love someone and fulfill a simple promise?

Hero of Time. Already, I detest that title. Perhaps if I wasn't the descendant then I would have survived. Somehow made it out okay by continuing to be blessed in normalcy by the Goddesses.

_But there's nothing that you can do. It's over and done with… no turning back. Not even the Goddesses can change this. Once dead, there is no going back. It's best to just accept real—_

I clambered up on my feet, slipping against the soggy grass, in a childish attempt to silence the thoughts. No matter what, I would not accept it. Dead or not, I promised.

* * *

The skies shook with the heaviest of sorrows, graying with the nation's atmosphere. The news had spread like wildfire. Hyrule's beloved hero was gone. He'd died valiantly, protecting Hyrule's soldiers as well as the Zora tribe's domain from a legion of rabid Darknuts. It was deemed a rightful, heroic death for such a well-loved man. As despairing as the news had been it was the best end for the Hero of Time, to die in battle.

Zelda thought otherwise. From the moment she'd received the news of his passing to the ceremony's statrt, she'd remained silent without even shedding a tear. Lack of rightful emotion. The only ounce of emotion she showed was when the casket had been brought out to the courtyard, its lid closed. That was it. Nothing else, not even a blink of an eye when series after series of condolences were uttered to her and her poor father.

Yet when the tearful congregation left, leaving the closed-in casket for the men to bury it… she remained.

"Leave me." She said, her hand slowly resting against the freshly made coffin, its woody texture biting at her gloved palm. The cluster of men bowed, eyes flickering amidst themselves as they quickly obeyed and left with murmured condolences. More meaningless phrases of apologies.

Only as the lot disappeared into the castle's confines did her frown twitch, crumble, tremble, and in a moment's breath she was on her knees, skirts pressing heavily against the muddied ground beneath her as she settled a kiss against the wooden coffin. "I can't bear it…" her voice shook with delayed intensity, something she had desired to release for a time since the news yet had royally stifled it until now. "I can't handle knowing that you're gone, Link." Her nails caught on the wood's grooves, tears freely streaking her pale cheeks as her body shook with sobs.

"I can only imagine the weight I put on you… that promise. I know you took it to heart, made it come alive all these years. I imagine you were broken, knowing that you would die and break our promise." She kissed the coffin's face again, her voice falling to a mess of whispers. "I should have known better than to add another burden on you. I should have known better yet you… you…"

She rested her head against the deathbed of the hero, eyes closing against the tears. It was her fault. Yes, that seemed right. Seemed very appropriate. Surely his death was not a happy one with those famous last words being about their promise.

"I'm so sorry, Link. Oh so sorry."

Even now, his name was being forgotten within just a half a day's passing. His identity was already being added to the heroes before him. Nothing but another "Link" from the legend of the Hero of Time, and it's all her fault.

All of it.

"Because of me, you died. Because of my existence, this world, your heart. You weren't even given a chance of normalcy. No, you were simply used and then taken back… away from me. Dear Goddess, I can't bear that! I can't bear not hearing you, seeing you. I can't. I—I—"

She raised her head slightly, eyes downcast to the woody surface. Already she could feel his presence, something she treasured and had always felt from the moment he'd first saved her, gone. Nothing but phantom fabrications now that lingered with her senses. Just another depressing fact that proved her best friend to be dead.

"I love you… I love you, Link… so much."


End file.
